Gaddafi cozies up to Moscow

2011-05-16 22:35

Moscow - Russia was due on Tuesday to hold previously unannounced talks with envoys of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi amid efforts by Moscow to help mediate an end to an international campaign it has opposed.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the meetings with the Tripoli government representatives will be followed by talks with rebel envoys from Benghazi at a later date.

"We have agreed Moscow meetings with representatives of both Tripoli and Benghazi," the ITAR-TASS news agency quoted Lavrov as saying.

"The Tripoli envoys will be here tomorrow," Russia's top diplomat said.

He added that the trip by the rebel representatives had been delayed for "technical" reasons but had originally been scheduled for Wednesday.

Lavrov did not specify which officials would be coming to Moscow or whom besides himself they would meet.

Senior Libyan rebel leader Mahmud Jibril held talks in Washington on Friday and met French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on the following day in his bid to gain international recognition for the opposition government.

Russia has refused to accept the rebels as a legitimate power in Libya and still has formal ties with the Gadafi regime.

Lavrov has fired almost daily barbs at the international military campaign against Gaddafi's forces and accused the foreign powers of trying to target the disputed Libyan leader.

Furious with rebel aid

Russia abstained for the UN Security Council vote on international military intervention in a move that helped the measure to pass.

But Moscow has argued that the current campaign breaches the UN mandate and has also criticised the leading role taken in the crisis by the International Contact Group.

It was particularly furious when the group this month agreed to provide financial assistance to the rebels from funds that partly came from Gaddafi's frozen foreign assets.

At the same time, Russia has also joined world powers in imposing its own financial and military export sanctions on Tripoli and has been openly critical of Gaddafi's crackdown on the opposition.

The Kremlin's top foreign policy adviser said shortly after the international campaign started that Moscow was keeping its ties open with Tripoli only "because we have to".

But while calling on Gaddafi to immediately cease fire and enter talks, Russia has also criticised some Western nations for agreeing to start training the rebels, saying the decision breached international law.

Comments

Matt - 2011-05-16 23:27

Is this the rise of Maggog?

slg - 2011-05-17 03:36

Let's see your true colours Russia. Are you a rogue nation or a respectable and reliable member of the international community?

Kevin Rack - 2011-05-17 05:13

Russia has a 24billion arms deal with Gadaffi.

YES - 2011-05-17 07:06

I behind Russiia all the way save for meeting the rebels. It about time thatg China also join the fray by taking a firm stance against the West.

slg - 2011-05-17 07:38

You're in with two countries who until very recently were backward and communist. Shows how smart you are.